Itanagar: In a significant step toward preserving India’s rich manuscript heritage, the Union Ministry of Culture has announced plans to dispatch a specialized expert team to Arunachal Pradesh. The team will focus on the scientific documentation, digitisation, and conservation of rare manuscripts associated with Buddhist traditions and indigenous faiths across five districts of the northeastern state. The announcement was made on Tuesday following a high-level workshop held under the aegis of the ministry, which emphasized the urgency of safeguarding these invaluable cultural resources.

Workshop Highlights and State’s Appeal

The workshop, chaired by Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Vivek Aggarwal, saw the participation of a three-member delegation from Arunachal Pradesh led by the state’s Art and Culture Secretary, Mamta Riba. During the session, the state delegation presented a detailed account of the critical condition of its manuscript heritage and appealed for immediate central intervention under the Gyan Bharatam Mission.

The delegation highlighted the significance of the Lik-Thai manuscripts of Namsai, the ancient Buddhist Kangyur scriptures, and other indigenous collections that are scattered across the districts of Tawang, West Kameng, Shi-Yomi, Upper Siang, and Namsai. These manuscripts, many of which date back several centuries, not only document religious practices and beliefs but also capture the socio-cultural, literary, and historical evolution of communities in the region.

A presentation on the Gyan Bharatam Mission underscored the extensive field documentation undertaken by the state in recent years. It revealed the discovery of rare manuscripts and traditional scripts, some of which contained episodes from epics such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. These findings demonstrate deep historical and literary linkages among the communities of Arunachal Pradesh, highlighting the need to preserve them for posterity.

Threats to Manuscript Heritage

Officials pointed out that the manuscripts are under constant threat from natural aging, fluctuating climatic conditions, and inadequate archival facilities. Many of the materials are fragile, susceptible to damage from humidity, light, and biological factors such as mold and insects. The lack of modern storage infrastructure further exacerbates the risk, leaving several priceless manuscripts in a precarious state.

The state delegation proposed a structured roadmap for the preservation, digitisation, and archival of these texts. This plan included capacity-building for local custodians, the creation of climate-controlled storage facilities, and systematic scientific documentation to ensure that the manuscripts are conserved in a manner consistent with international standards. Additionally, the initiative seeks to maintain the cultural continuity of these texts by making them accessible to scholars, students, and the wider public through digital platforms.

Central Government’s Response

Secretary Vivek Aggarwal commended the proactive efforts of the Arunachal Pradesh government in identifying and documenting its manuscript heritage. He assured the state of immediate and long-term support from the central government to safeguard these invaluable resources.

Aggarwal announced that a central expert team would soon visit all five districts to initiate scientific documentation, digitisation, and conservation of the Lik-Thai manuscripts, the Kangyur collections, and other identified ancient manuscripts. This includes texts linked to the Mahabharata and Ramayana, which are of immense historical and cultural significance. The team will employ state-of-the-art techniques to stabilize and preserve the manuscripts, ensuring that they can be transmitted safely to future generations.

In addition to field interventions, the Union Ministry of Culture will establish a dedicated Manuscript and Digitisation Support Cell. This cell will serve as a nodal point for coordination between the central and state governments, enabling long-term assistance, monitoring, and capacity-building in manuscript preservation. The initiative also aligns with the broader objectives of the Gyan Bharatam Mission, which aims to create a national digital repository of manuscripts, making India’s literary and cultural heritage widely accessible.

Significance of the Project

The conservation of manuscripts in Arunachal Pradesh holds importance not only for the state but also for India’s national heritage. The Lik-Thai texts and the Kangyur collections, along with indigenous scripts, represent centuries of knowledge, tradition, and spiritual practice. They offer insights into religious thought, historical events, local governance, and literary expression in the region. Digitising these manuscripts ensures their preservation while also enabling scholars across the country and the world to access, study, and learn from these rare texts.

The project also underscores the role of technology in cultural preservation. Digitisation allows for the creation of high-resolution images of manuscripts, which can be stored in secure servers and shared with educational and research institutions. This not only protects the physical originals from overhandling but also facilitates wider dissemination of knowledge.

Local and National Impact

The Arunachal Pradesh government has welcomed the central government’s assurance of support and reaffirmed its commitment to preserving the state’s manuscript and script heritage. Officials noted that these efforts will help strengthen the region’s contribution to India’s national digital repository of manuscripts. The collaboration between the state and the central government is expected to serve as a model for similar initiatives in other northeastern states and culturally rich regions across India.

Mamta Riba, Art and Culture Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh, emphasized that the preservation of manuscripts is integral to maintaining the cultural identity and historical memory of communities in the state. She highlighted the need to integrate conservation efforts with educational initiatives, ensuring that local populations are aware of the importance of these manuscripts and are actively involved in their safeguarding.

The Road Ahead

With the central expert team scheduled to begin work shortly, the project marks a major milestone in India’s efforts to protect its manuscript heritage. The combination of field-based scientific conservation, digitisation, capacity-building, and the establishment of a support cell ensures that the manuscripts will be preserved for both academic study and cultural continuity.

The Gyan Bharatam Mission, under which this initiative falls, represents a comprehensive approach to manuscript preservation across India. By integrating modern technology, scientific conservation methods, and collaborative governance, the mission aims to prevent the loss of invaluable texts while making them accessible to a wider audience. For Arunachal Pradesh, this project not only preserves the manuscripts themselves but also strengthens the state’s role as a custodian of India’s diverse and ancient cultural heritage.

Conclusion

The central government’s decision to deploy an expert team to Arunachal Pradesh for the conservation of manuscripts is a timely and strategic move. It acknowledges the fragility of the state’s literary heritage and the urgent need to protect it from natural deterioration and inadequate archival facilities. Through a combination of scientific conservation, digitisation, capacity-building, and long-term coordination, the initiative aims to ensure that Arunachal Pradesh’s manuscript collections, including Buddhist scriptures, indigenous texts, and epic-related manuscripts, are preserved for future generations.

The collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and the Arunachal Pradesh government represents a model of proactive heritage management, reflecting India’s commitment to preserving and promoting its rich cultural and literary legacy in the digital age.

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